New study shows health benefits of travel

A new study examined the health and wellness benefits of leisure travel and found out that those who travel reported better emotional and physical health and improved relationships and productivity at work.

Additionally, overall well-being is one of the biggest advantages of travel, with the benefits starting during the initial travel planning phase and extending well beyond the trip. The longest lasting travel benefit reported is improved relationships with loved ones – lasting six weeks on average.

The study released by AARP Travel, shows 4 in 5 boomers experience at least one health benefit during a trip and 73 percent notice at least one health benefit post-trip. By far, boomers get the most health benefits during the trip (56 percent). One in 5 indicate they experience health benefits before, during, and after the trip equally. Millennials experience a far bigger benefit from planning a trip (23 percent) than boomers (6 percent).

"This research shows there are many health and wellness benefits during all stages of travel across generations, and seeing those benefits significantly improves their satisfaction with the trip," said Alison Bryant, AARP Research Senior Vice President. "Any type of travel, whether it's a weekend getaway or a weeklong trip, can be an effective way to renew and recharge and the benefits far outweigh the short-lived drawbacks."

Additionally, planning a trip completely focused on wellness is not done by many and does not differ by generation. A wellness-focused trip is most likely a result of more intergenerational travel happening within the younger group surveyed. When planning and taking a trip, wellness is not thought of as an underlying reason to travel, but as a by-product. Most are open to just letting the feeling of wellness happen. A significant majority of boomers (96 percent) who planned a wellness activity on their trip, but did not exclusively focus on it, said they were "somewhat or very satisfied.